All Things Considered

Listen Live

Next

All Things Considered / The Why

There's more to every story if you take the time to tell it. The Why gets to the "why" behind an issue that matters in your community, diving deep to give you a fuller view – and an illuminating listening experience.

Unemployment benefits extended, again

April 16, 2010

Thousands of Americans struggling to find work are getting a new life line from extended unemployment benefits.
In early March, President Obama extended jobless benefits through April 5.
But with unemployment still hovering around 10 percent, Obama has signed another emergency measure to keep unemployment checks flowing to those who’ve exhausted their initial benefits.

By Aarron Moselle

Thousands of Americans struggling to find work are getting a new life line from extended unemployment benefits.

In early March, President Obama extended jobless benefits through April 5.

But with unemployment still hovering around 10 percent, Obama has signed another emergency measure to keep unemployment checks flowing to those who’ve exhausted their initial benefits.

The law also gives recipients a subsidy to buy health insurance from their former employers through COBRA.

John Dodds is the director of the Philadelphia Unemployment Project. He says the $18 billion measure will help stimulate the economy, “That money all gets put back. It’s not going in the bank. It’s not going to investments. It’s really just going toward basic consumer spending. People spend all their benefits just to keep going.”

Dodds says unemployment checks will average about $300 dollars a week. The unemployed will have until June 2 to apply for the extended benefits.